The Shadow Faerie
by Keruri17
Summary: Link returns home to Hyrule and is welcomed with open arms. However, new and old dangers arise in Zelda's kingdom... ZeLink
1. Chapter 1

_"Zelda?"_

_"…hmm?"_

_"…Do you think I'll ever see my parents again? I mean, you know—"_

_"Yes, Link. I am as sure that you will see your parents as I am of seeing my—my mother—again. I believe that we all will meet up at the end of our lives."_

_"…you've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"_

_"…yes."_

_"…Zelda?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"…thanks for being my friend."_

The princess awoke from her lavishly decorated bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she checked the time on the enormous clock tower just outside her window. Half-past two in the morning.

Her mind still buzzing pleasantly from her peaceful dream, she got up and put on her robe as if in a trance. Her slippers, occupied by her delicately small feet, scuffed on the Kokiri oak floors as she wandered into her caretaker's room.

"Impa?" Her voice came wearily and crept past her pale lips.

The former Sheikah awakened almost immediately, shaking her head and looking up at the young woman. She tucked her snow-white hair behind her sharply pointed ears and half-glared at the princess.

"It's another dream about him," Impa stated, recognizing the dreamy look on her young charge's face. Zelda simply nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, tracing lazy circles upon the velvety comforter.

"Come on, then," Impa said wearily, her shoulders slumping slightly in weary resignation.

"This time, it was a memory of when we were kids," Zelda murmured, her eyes gazing fixedly at the gold post of Impa's bed. "He was talking about… how much he missed his parents, and he'd asked me whether or not he'd ever see them again…" Zelda's eyes sought Impa's violet ones. "And he had… that—that _look_ on his face…"

Impa nodded curtly, showing that she understood. Zelda had described many of Link's 'looks' ; there was the cute determined one, the adorable sad one, the hot confident one, etc.

"And I just can't stop… thinking—thinking that maybe I shouldn't have…" her voice stuck in her throat, causing her to choke on her words. She let her eyes wander again, now sparkling with unshed tears. "Maybe I shouldn't have… gone back…"

One small, dry sob escaped from the pent-up blockage in her chest, and Impa reached out a hand to cover Zelda's.

"Shh… you know how I am when you get all… _emotional…_" Impa said, her nose wrinkling for emphasis.

Zelda let out a half-sob, half-chortle and relaxed, laying down next to her nurse.

"Thanks, Impa…"

xxx

The young man gripped the wheel with renewed force, steering the stubborn ship against the storm's tide. His blonde hair stuck stubbornly to his forehead in wet clumps, causing rivulets to cascade down his scrunched-up face.

His hat, normally forest green and shaped like a sock, had disappeared in the angry howl of the wind and blown into the monstrous sea. His green tunic clung wetly to his lean frame, weighing him down heavily, and his brown boots were slick with the fierce rain.

His knuckles turned white as he gritted his teeth and gave the wheel an enormous push, using the last of his seemingly endless strength. Just when the ship began to turn—

_Crash! _A bolt of lightning struck the ship's tallest mast, snapping it cleanly down the middle and giving out a pungent scent of scorched wood. The second half of the mast groaned loudly and started to lean downwards upon the ship. It started to make ominous popping noises when it came down. The man looked up at the last second, his blue eyes registering the danger too late.

There was a blistering pain in his temple and he knew no more.

xxx

"_Link!"_

Zelda bolted upright for the second time that morning, startling her nurse awake. Zelda jumped from the bed, grabbing something before heading out the door.

"Zeld—what?" Impa said groggily, her bloodshot eyes barely registering what she saw in front of her.

Impa shook her head like a great grizzly bear, ridding herself of the leftover drowsiness that took over her mind.

She looked next to her and saw that Zelda was missing. There was still a warm spot where she'd been.

Another glance around the room told her that her rain coat and boots were gone.

"Zelda!"

xxx

The princess wrapped her arms about herself and shivered in the freezing drizzle. She kept running until she recognized—

"There!" She breathed, dashing over as fast as her feet would allow in Impa's oversized rain boots.

She ran along the rocky beach behind her castle until she recognized one of the rock formations in her vision.

xxx

The young man woke, his head throbbing horribly with every heartbeat. He dared not raise his head for fear of falling unconscious once again. His limbs seemed too heavy to lift. He felt so terribly weary… his sky-blue eyes drifted half-shut, his will giving in to the overwhelming desire to sleep…

An image of a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed maiden was the last thing he saw before he drifted off into subconsciousness once again…


	2. Chapter 2

"Link!"

Zelda's eyes widened in horror as she stood over the Hero of Time, his body sprawled out against a flat rock in the shallows of the sea.

His hat was missing, his tunic was tattered and torn, and there was a bloody lump on the side of his head, turning his normally sunshine-yellow hair into a sad sunset orange.

Her small mouth opened in shock at the sight of her hero beaten down and defeated by the cruel waters. She clambered upon the rock, Impa's boots giving her a little extra traction, and stumbled clumsily upon his chest.

"Please… please…" She moaned, frantically putting and ear to his chest. She couldn't hear anything.

"No…" She thrust her cold fingers under his jaw. Sure enough, the blood was still doggedly, but feebly, coursing through his arteries.

"Ohh…" she whimpered, throwing herself upon his chest and clinging to him desperately. She lifted herself and jammed her hands under his arms from behind, using all of her feminine strength to lift his motionless body. She managed to drag him a couple of feet before her arms begged her to put him down. She did so, but she kept her hands gripped tightly around his arms. She dragged him a few more feet and was forced to drop him again.

She managed to drag his body all the way to the castle's back gates when Impa finally found her.

"Zelda! Is that…?"

"Yes!" Zelda cried desperately. "He's bleeding and he may be—he may be dying! Help me carry him!"

Impa complied without another word, dashing out and wrapping her arm around the hero's chest and under his right arm, supporting his head with her shoulder.

"Get his feet," Impa ordered, and Zelda quickly obliged. They carried the unconscious man into the castle recovery room, alerting a few guards on the way in.

They set him down upon one of the soft beds and the nurses and healers took over. Zelda, refusing to leave him, sat upon the bed with his head in her lap. Her eyes were filled with worry as she stroked his wet, blonde hair.

"You're home now… I'm here…It's going to be all right, Link, you'll see…"

xxx

Link awoke once more, his eyes adjusting to the bright light of the room. A look around told him that he was once again in the Harkinian castle. He almost shook his head, but the throbbing pains told him to move slowly.

He glanced down at himself and saw that he was wearing a fresh set of clothing: a plain, black, long-sleeved tunic and dark blue pants. His feet were bare. He lifted a hand to his head to find that his wound was covered with wrapped bandages. He looked around the room and saw two beds: his own, and another that was occupied by someone else. Someone with long, flowing, gold hair…

"_Zelda?" _

She jumped awake as if she had been stung.

"Oh, Link! You're awake! How do you feel?"

Link touched his head again automatically. "All right, I guess…"

He barely had time to react when the teen princess's arms latched around his waist.

"I missed you," she whispered to him. His eyes swam with moisture and he closed them, wrapping his own arms around her small frame.

"I missed you too, Zel," he murmured. He truly had come home.

Zelda often said afterward that it was the best moment of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

"So…" Link awkwardly patted Zelda's back to signal that he wanted her to let go. "How've… things… been?"

"We've been… I mean, I've been worried about you. What have you been doing for the last two years, Link? I—I've really missed you," Zelda stammered, afraid that Link was still angry that she'd put him back in his own time. She'd convinced herself that it was the best thing for them all, but what she'd really done was to make him go back through his life without his friends or Navi. Only the Triforce wielders knew anything about the events happening in the alternate timeline, causing everyone to forget Link.

Surprisingly, Link's face broke out into his adventurous grin. He told her all about his adventures oversea, including his travels over Koholint Island and the residents there—but when he described Marin, he left out the fact that she'd reminded him so much of Zelda. He spent hours describing every last detail of each monster he'd defeated and the new lands he'd seen, the strange people of that strange island.

"After that, though, I was so desperate to come home…" he said softly, almost as an afterthought. "But I didn't expect the feeling in my head that told me that I _had _to come home, almost as if—" his solemn blue eyes searched hers—"as if someone was calling me."

Zelda's sparkling eyes widened and looked away from his prying gaze.

"It was you, wasn't it, Zelda?" he whispered, never letting his gaze falter.

"Y-yes. Yes, Link, it was me," she murmured, embarrassed.

Link finally dropped his eyes from her, and Zelda very nearly sighed out of relief. Link clasped his hands between his knees and stared at them thoughtfully.

"Why?" he asked, finally breaking the tight silence between them.

Zelda opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was an almost inaudible squeak. "I—just—" Her mouth opened and closed, giving her the appearance of a gasping fish. "I was…" She heaved a sigh and steadied herself. "I was terrified that you had… that something had happened to you… I—I couldn't feel your piece of the Triforce anymore… you were too far away…"

Link's kitten eyes, so full of innocence even after all of the hardships he'd been through, narrowed in confusion. "Zel, you know I can take care of myself…" he began.

"I know," she snapped, cutting him off abruptly. Link didn't say anything more. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's just…"

"You don't have to explain, Zel, if it makes you uncomfortable…" Link said, and he reached out a hand and laid it across the princess's. She tensed and gasped suddenly, then her whole body went limp and she wept in his arms.

xxx

"Hyaa!"

Link's battle cries rang out across the arena as he sparred with the new Gerudo leader. His traditional garb had been replaced, giving him the appearance of an overgrown Kokiri elf once more.

"C'mon, Link—you can do better than tha-_whoa_!" Nabooru whipped around and dodged another of his well-aimed jump attacks, attempting to get behind the hero. His reflexes were that of a cat's, however, and he did a neat back-flip, landing squarely behind his adversary.

He poked his sword gently into the woman's back, grinning.

"Gotcha."

Nabooru grumbled, defeated yet again by the pesky boy.

"Fine. We'll call it a draw."

"Link! Get back in the recovery room!" Impa's voice came floating across the grounds, its tone implying that she was not happy with Link at the moment.

Link ducked his head sheepishly and he turned to face the overprotective caretaker. He was met with a dark scowl, which was quite scary coming from Impa. The strong woman crossed her arms and looked down at him reproachfully before snatching an ear and dragging him in the direction of the recovery room, ignoring his yelps of pain and feeble protests.

Nabooru giggled and waved at the 'tough hero' as he was dragged off by the nurse.

"Link, you know you are not supposed to be up and around until the bump on your head heals…"

"Yeah, I know, Impa," Link said resignedly. "But I'm going crazy behind these stupid walls! I want to get out and _do _something… go fight something…" he pouted, huffing impatiently.

Impa smiled slightly at this silly childish gesture coming from the nineteen year old boy.

"You'll just have to get used to it," Impa said half-mockingly, turning to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

Zelda watched him from afar, twirling her soft hair between her delicate fingers. She was supposed to be listening to the man before her, but she simply could not concentrate upon him…

"Princess? Are you listening?"

Zelda snapped back to attention, refocusing her cerulean gaze upon the suitor before her.

"I'm sorry, Prince Ezekiel, it's just… I cannot marry you," Zelda said, half-dreamily. The handsome man smoothed his already-slick black hair down again, frowning disappointedly. Zelda gazed again out of the window, and this time, the prince followed it to see a certain warrior dressed in green…

"You love him, don't you?" The question came abruptly from the prince's all-too kissable lips, startling the princess from her reverie.

Her cheeks glowed pink with embarrassment and indignation. "What--? No, I—Why would you say something like that?" Her hands clenched the windowsill with white-knuckled force, betraying the mixed emotions welled up in her heart.

Ezekiel took one of her pale hands and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Princess, as much as I would… like to have you as my bride… I cannot let you live in misery for the rest of your life." Zelda's eyes widened in surprise. "I know what it is to love another… with no chance of marriage," he said, pain etched into his handsomely deep voice. "I, too, have loved one of… non-noble blood… You should probably tell him and savor what you can while you are still unmarried, princess… enjoy it while you can…"

"Ezekiel… I…" she took his hand in warm recognition. "Thank you…"

Prince Ezekiel gently pulled her hand away and bowed, exiting the room to leave the princess at peace. "It will be kept secret, I promise."

xxx

_"Curse you, Sages! Curse you, Zelda!"_

_Ganondorf's body began to phase into the darkness, his image fading. _

_"Curse you, Link!"_

_Hate was etched into every inch of his lined face as he disappeared entirely. Now completely enveloped in the Dark Realm, he landed softly on the ever-changing sands of dark magic. Demons entered his mind, and he was forced to remember his past… his mouth opened in a silent scream of agony…_

_He saw himself as a child, watching as his mother beat him until he could not stand…_

_He watched as he grew into a young man, standing over his mother with his sword…_

_He saw himself as he was named leader of the Gerudos…_

_And he watched as he was banished from the clan altogether…_

_Ganondorf slumped forward, his mind filled with stabbing and slashing pains of excruciating torture. He gasped as he realized that he could not move…_

_He sensed the invisible evil around him with the last of his magic. He gritted his teeth in resignation as the darkness consumed his life force._

xxx

Link lay on his back lazily, his arms crossed behind his head and cushioned by the emerald green grass underneath him. The azure sky was spread out before him, offering its intensity to his curious eyes.

He hadn't realized how much he'd missed this place… A sudden thought occurred to him, and he whipped out his ocarina in record time. He played a simple melody and waited, ears anticipating a familiar sound…

He played the melody again, this time a little half-heartedly. No sound came. His head hung and he plopped back down on the ground, closing his eyes and preparing to go to sleep…

His ears perked up when he heard thudding noises, accompanied by an ecstatic whinny.

Epona, his loyal steed and companion, came galloping toward Link at her top speed, ears perked forward and tail high and flowing like a banner.

"Epona! You remember!" The horse came to a canter and nearly barreled Link over, covering his face with slobbery "kisses". "You remember me…!"

He patted her neck happily and climbed onto her strong back. "Let's go, just for old times…"

The enthusiastic animal did not need telling twice. She leapt forward gaily and followed Link's lead through the castle gates and out onto Hyrule field.


	5. Author's Note

A/N: Hello! I am going to take a short break over Thanksgiving! . But I will be back in full force afterwards with more chapters… Muahahahahah!


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